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332 - SignVideo: Instant Sign Language Interpretation Service, Barclays
Bank, United Kingdom
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ONTACT
Barclays Bank Plc
Ms. Kathryn Townsend
United Kingdom
www.barclays.co.uk/accessibility+44 7827 807738
kathryn.townsend1@barclays.comO
VERALL GOAL
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MISSION
The aim of this service is to ensure that Deaf people do not face unnecessary barriers or delays in accessing our services
(customer service in banking), by utilizing ICT technology to provide more efficient ways of accessing sign language
interpreters. Specifically, this service removes the requirement of booking a face-to-face interpreter for in-branch
appointments, by connecting to an online service via an iPad, which will offer instant live sign language interpretation.
T
HE SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED
We offered SignVideo BSL interpretation for our Telephony service for some time, giving customers instant access to an
interpreted call via their computer or tablet, from the comfort of home, allowing our customers independent and
seamless access to telephony services. We were keen to provide the same experience, enabling the same
independence, for face-to-face appointments in branch, where lead times for booking an interpreter could extend to
several weeks. Thanks to previous considerable investment in tablet technology and Wi-Fi, the branches were well
equipped to offer a digital solution, but at the time, the market did not offer one. That is why we worked with SignVideo
to co-create a new Enterprise-wide proposition giving branch staff access via their iPads. In this way, colleagues are able
to connect to a qualified interpreter in seconds using technology similar to Skype. This new capability enables us to offer
customers instant interpretation eliminating the need for the customer to request and pre-book an interpreter, giving
the freedom and flexibility to do their banking in-branch using BSL without any advance notice.
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OUNTRY IN WHICH IT WAS DEVELOPED
:
United Kingdom
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OUNTRY
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COUNTRIES IN WHICH IT IS OPERATING
:
United Kingdom
F
ACTS ABOUT SIZE AND SCOPE
1.
Instant sign language interpretation is now available in every UK Barclays branch (c.1500) via our 10,000 iPads
2.
Following initial launch in February 2015 for our branch network, we quickly made it available to the rest of the UK
business, so that all face-to-face customer and client appointments were able to offer this service. This meant